Maiden's Peak Revisited (Pokeshipping Week 2018)
by zdbztumble
Summary: The festival of summer's end offers Ash and Misty a much-needed respite, but an old haunt is waiting for them in all the fun. (TRYC-verse)


**I didn't have a chance to do much original material for this year's Pokeshipping Week, but the one piece I did finish was for my favorite theme.**

 **With her kind permission, this story is set in the universe of Skylight Sparkle's series _The Road You Choose_ , specifically somewhere in the events of "Who You Want to Be." If you're familiar with that series, you should understand all of this without issue. If you haven't read the series - go read it now! (The most bare-bones context to help you: Ash has a Lucario named Ria, he and Misty are together, and Ash and friends saved the world from Team Rocket and suffered a lot doing it.)**

* * *

Change kept rolling on through the world since Team Rocket's final defeat, and through Kanto in particular, but Maiden's Peak was the same as ever. The population was still small, the woodlands and the harbor without new development, and the rock that gave the town its name overlooked the bay just as it always had. It was a place that could use a bit of change, in Misty's opinion; it was a town that was starting to fade. The carnival rides were just a little dingy, the games and attractions a little predictable, and the people a bit listless. Misty wondered if they'd seen anything of the horrors the world had gone through.

But if Maiden's Peak needed to see changes someday, Misty was glad they hadn't come yet. A quiet visit to a place untouched by everything was just what the doctor ordered – literally. Her therapist, and Ash's too, thought they needed a vacation. It was the end of summer, and even with the incident with the Gastly, both of them had fond memories of Maiden's Peak. Misty floated the idea, and Ash was on board immediately. A quick trip to enjoy the festival, a walk along the water, and a little dancing under the lanterns in the night – it seemed perfect.

Unfortunately, Misty underestimated the growing fame of her boyfriend, and the vanity of one of his Pokémon.

"It's so cute!" a little girl squealed, just one of the many children crowding the edge of the stage. "And look how it uses its bow to keep its Mega Stone in place!"

Ria patted the bow behind her ear and bowed in appreciation. She looked very prim, with her head held high and her eyes shut, a look that Dawn had once told the Lucario was "appropriately dignified" for her kind. Ash stood a few feet behind her, with the other Trainers whose Pokémon were in this fashion contest. He'd tried rolling his eyes and acting mortified at the start, but Misty knew him better. Ash was fiercely proud of Ria, and supported her even when she did things like this that he thought were, in his words, silly girly junk. He didn't mind the attention that came his way either.

"It's a she," he chuckled, correcting the girl. "The bow was my crazy sister's idea."

"Ooh, it's adorable!" a little boy cried. "Is your sister the one that keeps her coat so shiny?"

" _Ru cario Lucario_ ," Ria purred. Ash rolled his eyes behind her. Misty didn't know Lucario-speak as well as she did Pika-speak, but she could guess the sort of self-compliment Ria had just given herself.

"She's so tiny," said another, older girl. "You didn't really use her to beat Tobias's Darkrai, did you?"

"Sure did!" Ash, and Pikachu on his shoulder, both puffed their chests out slightly, while Ria struck a battle pose. She even charged up a mini Aura Sphere on her left paw. The kids, and most of the adults in the crowd, broke into applause. Even some of the other Trainers standing alongside Ash looked amused, though others were clearly annoyed. The other Pokémon on stage, with their various hats, scarves, bows, and ties, matched their Trainers, though none as well as Ria and Ash.

Misty shook her head, even as she laughed and applauded too. Her boyfriend was such a dork. Ria was such a vain little thing. And, judging by the crowd's reaction, she had this fashion show in the bag.

* * *

"I can't believe she lost!"

"I heard you the first five times." Misty stepped in toward his side and bumped him with her hip. "Is she still upset about it in her ball?"

Ash snorted. "And you think _I'm_ complaining too much…"

 _That was a lousy trick!_ Ria's thoughts were practically a scream inside of Ash's head. _Just because she had a Fairy-type move that turned her scarf sparkly…_

"That's what I mean!" Ash cried, throwing his hands up in the air. "If we'd known you could do stuff like that, you could've worked something out!"

"Ash, you know you're answering her out loud, right? I have no idea what she said."

"Oh, right." He chuckled weakly, his left hand resting behind his head. "Sorry, Mist."

She rolled her eyes and linked arms with him. "Just walk," she ordered. They weren't far from the end of the trail, a rough path through the woods on the way up to Maiden's Rock. The sun was setting, a fiery gold and pink display over the ocean, and there was a small nip to the air. But Ash didn't feel cold. Walking, and being worked up, were good substitutes for long sleeves. So was having a girlfriend to walk arm in arm with.

Misty pulled gently to slow their pace. "That loss didn't put you off this trip, did it?" she asked teasingly.

"Nah," Ash chuckled. "It's been great. With all the training we've been doing before the match with Lance, I think all my team and me would've dropped dead without this trip. Right, Pikachu?"

" _Pika!_ " the Mouse Pokémon chirped brightly from his spot atop Ash's head.

"Girlfriend knows best," said Misty. "Don't forget that. So maybe you can spend a little time with her on this vacation instead of your fickle fan club."

Ash stuck his tongue out at her. "Technically, the therapists know best. But I guess you're more fun to hang out with than -"

He stopped, and gripped Misty's wrist to get her to stop too. "What is it?" she asked. "Something wrong?"

"I…I'm not sure." They were almost to the small lodge looking out onto Maiden's Rock, and something was definitely there. Ash could feel three presences. One was clearly human, and the other was clearly a Pokémon. But there was something strange about the third. It was like Aura, but not exactly. There was a thinness to it, as if a piece was missing. But there wasn't anything _wrong_ with whatever it was, the way there was with the Mirage Pokémon. And Ash felt as though he'd encountered something like this before…

"Ash?" Misty whispered. "Is it trouble?"

"I don't think so. But be ready anyway. Pikachu?"

" _Chuu_." Pikachu hopped down to the ground and led the way, his cheeks sparking. Misty readied a Poke Ball in her hand, and she and Ash crept along behind Pikachu into a large bush just in front of the lodge. Howling winds pelted the building and the grounds immediately around it, but nowhere else around the cliff. Peeking out of the bush, Ash and Misty saw a young man, no older than fifteen, with long teal hair and an ashen face. A swirl of violet light circled him, with shrieking white faces appearing and vanishing every few seconds. The young man whimpered softly, and stooped over as he put his arms up in front of his face. Hovering a few feet above him, laughing heartily, was a Gastly. A talking Gastly.

"Now you understand?" it roared. "The spirit of the maiden lives on! She is still waiting! WAITING!"

"Déjà vu," Misty muttered.

Ash gave her a sidelong glance and grinned. "Still got your vampire kit on you?"

"It'll come in handy one of these days," she shot back. "But I think our Pokémon will be enough to help this guy out. Ready?" She held up her Poke Ball.

Ash nodded. "Ready. Pikachu, see if you can surprise it with a really good -"

"That's enough, Gastly!"

The violet and the faces vanished. The wind stopped. Gastly's smile slipped into an almost sheepish look. And out from the peak came a young, transparent woman, with lavender hair and a white dress with a red sash and headband. There was a kind look on her face, and a purity to the feeling she gave off. But it was a very faint, thin feeling, and Ash finally understood the strange almost-Aura from before.

"That's not another Gastly," he whispered to Misty. "I think…I think that's a real ghost."

She didn't say anything, but gripped his wrist tightly. Even with everything they'd gone through in the past few years, the supernatural still freaked Misty out. _It's a good thing she wasn't around for Pokelantis_ , Ash thought.

But this ghost didn't seem so bad. She floated over the gap between the rock and the cliff to come alongside Gastly. The young man below them was still trembling and shielding his face. When he finally lowered them, the ghost smiled at him. He let out a huge scream and took off down the hill.

"The poor boy," the ghost sighed, in a distant, echoing voice. "I think you overdid it that time."

"Maybe so," the Ghost-type said. "But it's not an encounter he'll forget any time soon. He'll spread the word through the festival, and your legend will live on for another year."

The ghost giggled softly and patted Gastly on the top of its head. "I suppose you're right. Thank you, Gastly."

"My pleasure, as always."

"I guess this explains what we went through when we were kids," Misty whispered. She slowly released Ash's wrist. "It's a good thing that ghost didn't pop out back then, though."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Brock?"

"Brock."

The colors of the sunset had faded as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, and the blues and grays of twilight began settling into the sky. "It's time for me to take my leave for this year," said Gastly. "The boats will be put out in just a few moments."

 _The boats_. It was a part of the Maiden's Peak festival that Ash wasn't looking forward to, and also felt he needed to be a part of. He'd told Misty at least three times today that they needed to make it to the candle lighting. She understood why, he was sure, even if he hadn't said it.

The maiden's ghost smiled again and cupped Gastly's face with her hands. "Goodbye, Gastly. Until next year. And don't forget…"

Gastly smiled too, though his was a slight and sad one. "If I ever meet your true love, I will tell him you still wait here. But if I may say so…after so much time, do you ever think that you might find more peace if you…moved on?"

The ghost shook her head. "Thank you for caring, Gastly, but a promise is a promise. He made one to me, and I made one to him."

Ash's eyes flickered over to the rock overlooking the sea. He hadn't thought much of the legend behind Maiden's Peak on this trip, or at all since he'd heard it as a kid. Two thousand years, the story said it had been since the maiden's true love went off to war. Two thousand years, and she was still waiting.

It was a strange idea to think about. Ash was no stranger to hanging on to a promise. He'd technically carried one through millennia to Arceus himself, thanks to time travel. And he'd seen the bond between Sir Aaron and his Lucario, strained as it was, come back together after a thousand years. This was a different story, though. The maiden was dead, and after two thousand years, the guy she loved had to be too. There was no way they could go back to the way things were before that war. But she was still waiting, still keeping her promise.

Ash admired that. Some people wouldn't understand it, but Ash hated to let any promise go. It was hard to imagine waiting around for two thousand years, but for the right reason, it could be worth it. And the idea that you could keep a promise, even to the dead…

The grays in the sky began giving way to blacks, and the stars began coming out. Gastly and the maiden's ghost were both gone. "Did you see where they went?" Ash asked.

Misty and Pikachu shook their heads. Pikachu scampered back onto Ash's head, but Misty looked out toward Maiden's Rock. There was a strange, distant look in her eyes, and she settled down lower to the ground.

"Misty? Hey – Misty." Ash shook her by the shoulder. "You OK?"

"Hmm?" She looked up. "Oh – yes. I'm fine, Ash. Do you want to get going?"

Ash didn't buy that OK, but he knew better than to press it when Misty clearly didn't want to talk about it. He had his own thoughts to mull over as it was. "Then let's go. It's dark now, and I don't want to miss the boats."

* * *

Before the boats were set in the water to help guide lost spirits home, visitors had the chance to decorate them. The festival provided stickers, and ink and brushes for anyone who wanted a more personal message. Ash wasn't a great artist, but he still opted to mark his boats himself. And Misty could tell at the end that one boat had the face of a Lucario on it, and the other a Pikachu with a tuft of hair over one ear.

Ash held his own Pikachu close to him as they watched the boats sail out with the others. Misty stayed a few feet behind them. She knew when Ash needed space. He'd been quiet since they saw the maiden's ghost, and he'd been set on sending out those candles ever since agreed they were coming to Maiden's Peak.

Misty felt an uncomfortable mix of relief and guilt that she didn't have anyone to send a boat out for. Not that the losses hadn't touched her, but Riley was Ash's mentor, and Ritchie the friend who died in his arms. And Misty had come so close, been so sure, that she'd lost her sisters. Anything that reminded her that she _hadn't_ , that they were still alive, still washed over her like a gentle, cool wave. She never wanted to have to send out a candle to lead her sisters' spirits home.

 _I wonder if that Gastly is with one of these boats_. There was no sign of the Pokémon anywhere, and none of the maiden's ghost. _Of course_ , Misty thought, _there wouldn't be_. She glanced up toward Maiden's Rock, a long dark shape backlit by the waxing moon. It had been something, seeing another real ghost after so many years. What she'd said was even stranger. A promise may be a promise, but to still be waiting after two thousand years?

Misty had had plenty of time to think about losing Ash over the past year. She'd worried for him, clung to him, gotten sick over him. But part of her realized that, if her family and friends were there for her, she could move on with her life if something happened to Ash. She didn't want to think about how hard that would be to go through, but she knew she'd be able to put the pieces back together. And she knew that Ash would want her to if he died.

But if he was only missing? In all their struggles hunting for the orbs, Misty couldn't remember considering that – that she and Ash could be separated, never knowing what happened to the other but with hope not wholly gone that they could reunite. And, if they could become ghosts, what difference might that make? There'd be no time to worry about, and there wouldn't be a life to move on with. Or would there be? What had Gastly said, about moving on?

There had to be something more to death, or everyone would be a ghost. At least, that seemed to make sense. But if something like that happened – if something happened to both of them, and they could find each other as ghosts…

"Misty?" A hand passed over her eyes, and she shook her head. Ash was right by her, a small smile on his face. The boats were all well out into the ocean, a line of shrinking yellow lights on the dark, inky water. "Do you wanna go?"

"Yeah…yeah." Misty smiled back. "It's almost dancing time, after all. And we need to change into our yukatas." She took his hand in hers and led him up the road to the Pokémon Center. "If your jaw dropped back when we were ten seeing me dressed up like that, just wait until you see me now."

"Can't wait," said Ash, wiggling his eyebrows in a would-be suggestive manner. Misty rolled her eyes and swatted him with her free hand, while Pikachu giggled. At the first turn on the road, Misty leaned in to his side and set her head on his shoulder, and Ash let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her waist.

"Say…Mist?" he asked. His voice was soft, and a little weak. "Do…do you think there's anything to those boats? Helping…people find their way?"

Misty looked up at him. He was looking at the ground before their feet, his eyes half-shut and glassy. Misty patted his chest, got up on her toes, and kissed his cheek. "If there is, I'm sure they appreciate it," she whispered. "And if not -" her hand drifted down his stomach to his belt, and rested on Ria's Poke Ball – "We've seen a lot, Ash. I can't believe that they're just gone." Misty wished she could give him a more certain answer, but that wouldn't be an honest one.

It seemed to do the trick, though. Ash gave her a soft smile, kissed the top of her head, and rested his cheek against her hair. He pulled her in closer as they walked. Misty was grateful for that; the night was getting colder. "Say…Ash?" she asked, and was surprised at how loaded her voice sounded.

"Hmm?"

"What do you think's going to happen with that ghost? The maiden, I mean."

He threw his spare arm around her and adjusted his head so that his chin was on the top of her head. "I don't know," he said. "Sounds like she's keeping that promise, no matter what. That's kind of amazing. And kind of sad."

"Yeah…kind of sad." Misty nuzzled the crook of Ash's neck. They both rolled their heads around until their lips met. Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder and ran ahead to the Pokémon Center, which was just past the pair of trees ahead of them. Misty gently pushed Ash against them as they kissed, savoring the touch of his fingers tracing patterns along her back.

They would be late for the dance; Misty didn't mind. A few minutes wouldn't matter, and she needed this. Whatever would come of ghosts and distance and time, whatever might happen if they were apart, they were together now, against all the odds. And they weren't going to let that go by.


End file.
